HOSPITAL COST ACTION DELAYED COMPROMISE PLAN MAY BE IN THE WORKS

TALLAHASSEE -- Legislation that would restrain hospital costs, which nearly tripled in Florida in the last eight years, was put on hold Tuesday in the House Health Care Committee. A vote had been expected.

Committee Chairman Michael Abrams, who wants to stiffen the state's regulatory power over hospitals, indicated that he won't bend to weaker counterproposals presented by the hospitals.

He said he will give the hospital industry another week to try to come to a compromise.

"The worst thing we could do on this issue is not come up with a complete well-thought-out work product," said Abrams, D-North Miami Beach. "I'd rather just see us spend a little more time and come out with something that could go the distance."

The chairman of the state Hospital Cost Containment Board, Peter Levin, has acknowledged his group lacks the clout to go after all hospital over-charging: "Really we've had rates of increase that are very high," Levin said recently. "Hospitals are being treated very liberally. Nobody (at the HCCB) is trying to give anything away but often we get into a situation where these things are allowable (under current law)."

Hospital lobbyists have been negotiating privately with legislators; neither side would say exactly what new proposals they are tossing around.

"We're trying to find some middle ground," said Lester Abberger of the Florida Hospital Association.

John French of the Florida League of Hospitals, which represents only for- profit facilities, said there has not been a conscious attempt to cut a deal in secret.

"We're dealing with incredibly technical concepts, incredibly technical data. It's a series of meetings and touch-backs. The committee process is not made for working with highly technical data," French said.